encourage more
people to incorporate green roofs &
increase demand
of them.

My objective of my thesis is to encourage more proper to incorporate
green roofing, increasing the demand of them. As Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve discovered, the
most common reason that discourages people from undertaking the
planting of a green roof is the challenge of construction and engineering.
Therefore, I think a good approach is make people living and working in
cities know the countless values of green roofing and reduce the overly
serious concerns. There are practical issues, but people need to realize
that they can work on their own scale and still enjoy the benefits and pleasure that come naturally with the project.

wait...what is green roof?
Green roofs or vegetated rooftops have been extensively used in northern
Europe since the 1970s and are now gaining popularity in North America.
Green roofs consist of waterproofing and drainage mats, a special growing
media, and plants able to withstand extreme climates. They offer several
real and potential benefits, including reduced run off, increased evapotranspiration, prolonged roof life, reduced roof temperature, decreased
energy costs, and reduction of the urban heat islandâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the area of higher
temperatures that exists around intensely developed and densely paved
urban areas. Green roofs also help to meet aesthetic and landscaping
requirements, and they can create additional living space if constructed
to bear the weight of people and their outdoor activities.

Why green roof?
Because of increasing population. Over the past hundred years, the global
urban population has swelled from 15% to 50% of the total global population, which itself has increased from 1.5 to well over 6 billion. The future
is going to look pretty urban with more and more people shifting to cities
to the point that, after 28 years, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to have two thirds of all the
people in the world living in cities.
Because the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population keeps increasing, there is a need for
increased densities in urban residential development, which could result
in terrestrial green space being reduced or lost. Resource limitations and
environmental degradation are becoming more apparent every day.

Establishing plant material on rooftops can also provide numerous ecological, economic, and owner benefits including stormwater management,
energy conservation, mitigation of the urban heat island effect, increased
longevity of roofing membranes, life expectancy of the roof, additional
usable space, Building incentives, as well as providing a more aesthetically
pleasing environment to work and live.

Technical benefits

Ecological benefits

Owner benefits

green roof types
1. Pitched Roof VS. Flat Roof
Flat roofs are more difficult to install and maintain, with fewer options available for the long–lasting solutions offered for standard roofing. Drainage
problems and a lack of adequate insulation only add to the challenge.

90°

30°

Need Special Solutions

20°

Steep Pitched Green Roofs

15°

Pitched Green Roofs

10°

Flat Roofs

0°

2. Extensive green roof VS. Intensive green roof
For you to be easier to understand the different between these two type
of roof, I would say one is pretty expensive, another one is a lot cheaper.

WHAT I'M FOCUSING ON
So, the green roof which is covered with a thin grass carpet and the park
like expensive green roof are two extreme different types. However, in
between those two type of green roofs, there is a third choice.

The semiâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;intensive green roof is a more complex extensive green roof
system and allows for the inclusion of various perennials and small shrubs
in the plant selection.
This type of green roof is what I am going to focus on for my thesis topic. It
is able to retain more storm water than an extensive system and provides
the potential to host a richer ecology. It also provides the potential for a
formal garden effect.

TOO SMALL

WE CAN MAKE A
BIG IMPACT
EVERY SINGLE DAY
FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

3 habits

Look at the everyday world for inspiration
Daily engagement with the world everyday, and looking carefully at my
surroundings can have a significant effect on my work. My thesis project’s
subject is a growing issue in the world, many people have started promote
the green roofs idea in many ways. I have to open my eyes and let what’s
happening today lead me to inspiring observations and creative insights
into the work of design.

Spend time with your client to build consensus
and create shared goals.
I will never have a lot of good information if I don’t talk to people who
know green roofs very well. I will have to push myself to spend more time
with my target audiences and professional people to let them point me
in the right direction through conversations. Being well–connected with
these people will be very helpful for my thesis development.

If you are a designer, design;
if you are a manager, manage.
I have to make the most effective use of my time. To design a workable
App and live website, I will need to reach out for help as I’m not familiar
with it. On the other hand, I am going to focus on what I am good at and
do the best.

plan

ogst diagram

O

G

S

Encourage more poeple to incorporate rooftop greening
and Increase demand of green roofs.

Change Individual Habit

KEEPING UP WITH THE joneses

People will realize they can work on their
own scale and still enjoy the benefits and
pleasure come naturally from the project.

When people can see that a positive
behavior is normal and that everyone is
doing it, they are likely to jump on in and
trust the idea will really work.

Create civic pride and community around
green roofs.

Cooperation with other green roofs
communities and organizations to attract
more attentions.

Demonstrate benefits they can get from it.
Break construction process down into
manageable steps, so the road map is
tangible and easy to navigate.

T

Create a social network that is devoted
rooftop greening.
Prove Valueâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;rewards for good behavior.

Books

interactive Website

that tell countless values of green roofing
which is closely relate to their life/job.

Encourages urban citizens to organize and
act to improve their living environment.

Mobile APP

visual campaign/ outreach

The app will give users social interaction and
mutual commitment to a worthy cause.

Send people a small digital/print package
includes a few green roof manuals to
promote the project and garner support.

Event
The event will be hold in each community
and will teach people basic knowledge and
skills about green roofs, so people can learn
from realâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;life experiences.

Materials matrix

books
Book one is the book for tenants and homeowners. It’s going to focus on
publicize the environment, health benefits that green roofs can provide.
Book two is going to analysis cost and promote the great market benefitsthat property owners will be interested in.

app

I will design a mobile app that allows people to visually design their own
green spaces. With this app, people are able to drag and overlay different
‘greens’ artwork onto photos of their own spaces/rooftops in order to
visualize how their green roof could possibly look. Users are able to share
their designs as well as rate the designs of others. They will also have the
opportunity to bring to life their virtual green designs. They can either
purchase or earn real plants as a reward for reaching certain milestones
in ratings. People can learn from smallest scale–on the screen–to bigger
scale. From virtual to physical.

Event
They are able to meet people who have same interest, and professional
people to share about the idea of green roof.

website
A blog and later a full website are essential elements in not only explaining
my project to the outside world, reaching out to people, and getting feedback , but also gives the project life after Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m done with school.

visual campaign

It will include a logo, book, Howâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;to Kit, brochures, posters, invitation cards
and advertisements that will focus on the fun and simplicity of green roofing.

Biography
Born in May, 20, 1987, Kaohsiung,Taiwan. Graduated from University in year
2009 in landscape design department, BFA degree. Now continuing MFA
study in Academy of Art University, graphic design department.
As a little girl growing up in Taiwan, when I felt lonely or sad I would
go out onto the family roof garden. The spicy red peppers that were my
dad’s favorite hung on their vines like tiny lanterns and the fragrance of
ﬂowers ﬁlled the air. Surrounded by the ﬂowers, the plants and the presence of nature, I felt safe and calm. It was a special place, a sanctuary for
thought and relaxation. When my father had something important to say or
discuss, we would go to the roof garden and there conversation seemed to
ﬂow better as if our thoughts and words had a deeper and wiser context. It
was from these intangible but powerful feelings that my connection to the
concept of greenroofs sprang.